


Be Strong, My Boy

by yodanskinator



Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Family, Gen, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 02:49:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14559201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yodanskinator/pseuds/yodanskinator
Summary: This is the story of a lone mother from Lothering, whose life seems to fall apart ever since the lost battle of Ostagar. Read of the hardships she has to face, how she raises her children in spite of the Blight and how her little family affects the villagers' and the qunari prisoner's lives.





	1. We will always love you

 

My life had been an exciting one in itself.  
I do not mean adventures as you may perceive them, travelling, hunting and the like.  
No, the most exciting part about it were my children. They were the brightest beacon of my life, the peak of my story at the time.

When Edward and I received our first child, Eric, we knew it was time for us to settle down in the village my parents had raised me in: Lothering.  
We watched him grow, watched him learn, and when he was ten, his sister Allison was born.

There was always a glint of happiness in Edward's eyes whenever he saw us together as a family, but at some point I noticed how it began to fade.  
One day, he was simply gone, without a note or a hint as to why.  
Allison was but a year old at that time, but Eric was well aware of his father missing.  
The hope in his eyes broke my heart when I promised him that Edward would return, even though I knew he never would.  
Our neighbours thought he would have left me for another woman, seeking to relive the times when we were travelling. But that wasn't like him. I knew he had missed the adventure, even I did sometimes, but he would not have left his family for that.

My children and I were alone ever since, and I had to raise them by myself, without a man protecting us.  
But I was not afraid, for I could tell whenever there was trouble, and I knew how to avoid it.

I remember the day when Eric and Allison, fourteen and four years old by then, went off to visit the Hawke family. I didn't fear for them when they went alone. Eric was old enough to avoid any danger and our dog Barry would keep an eye on especially Allison.

I was doing the laundry when a knock sounded from the front door. It was Leliana.  
"Hello, Leliana," I welcomed her and added jokingly, "you just missed the children."  
At that she chuckled, shaking her head.  
"As much as I love Eric and Allison, I came to see you," she responded, "how are you, Liona?"  
A smile formed on my lips. No one would ask for my well-being, except for Leliana and the Hawkes.

She told me that I need to get some fresh air and talk to others more often, lest I turned mad.  
I didn't mind staying at home, though, I was content with my children and the peaceful silence when they were out with Garrett.  
But I still considered her advice.

Later that day, Eric came to me with our dog. "Mother," he said to me with tearful eyes, "I think Barry is sick. He vomited blood and collapsed when we were playing."  
Barry was laying on the ground, unable to stand, huffing and whining.  
"Do you know what happened?" I asked while I stroked him and Eric shook his head. "But a few days ago when we were playing, he suddenly took off and I couldn't find him. He behaved strange ever since he came back." I noticed him fidgeting while he told me so.  
"Where did he go, Eric?" I asked sternly, knowing he was hiding something from me.  
"The long bridge, we went to the long bridge!" Allison chimed in and Eric nudged her with his elbow, "we played in the woods and Barry ran away!"  
"Didn't I tell you not to go to the long bridge, Eric?" I scolded and he shied away. "I'm sorry, Mother," he mumbled.  
"Anything else I should know?" I inquired expectantly and he shook his head, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "I hope so."

Upon further examination I noticed bite wounds on Barry's left hind leg. Unsurprisingly, they looked too recent to be scars, but at the same time too old to be fresh. He had been either bitten by a dog or a wolf, though I assumed the latter to be the case.  
"Barry has been injured," I stated and raised an eyebrow at Eric who stammered, "I- I'm sorry, Mother, I didn't want to tell you, you would have hated me."  
I sighed and cupped his cheeks. "Eric, I am your mother. I might be angry at you and scold you, yes. But I could never hate you."  
I sent Allison into her room to play so I could talk to Eric alone.  
"Barry is dying, Eric," I whispered, "he might have got an infection through his wound."  
"It was my fault, wasn't it?" He sobbed. "I should have listened, Mother, I'm so sorry."  
Shaking my head I wrapped my arms around my crying son in an attempt to calm him. "It wasn't your fault, Eric," I reassured him, "you couldn't have known. Be strong, my boy."

After some time he calmed and was watching over Allison while I brought Barry outside to end his suffering.  
Somehow I could tell Barry knew what I was going to do, so we lay there in the grass, relishing our last moment together. I sang to him while I was caressing him and feeding him herbs to put him to sleep. "You have always been a good boy," I whispered soothingly, "thank you for protecting us."  
As his breathing became lighter I pulled out a dagger. "We will always love you," were my last words before I plunged the blade into his neck.

Before I went inside I glanced towards the highway in the distance where the children had been exploring and noticed a humanoid figure standing there. I squinted my eyes in order to focus and see it better and I saw what looked like horns protruding from its head. It simply stood there facing me, as if it had been watching me the entire time.  
I took a deep breath, balling my hands into fists, and headed inside, locking the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you've read this far, then I'm glad you have taken the time to do so! As you can probably tell, this story might be rather unusual. However, I do hope that you'll stick around! :)


	2. Kost

 

"Mother, why didn't Barry come with us?" Asked Allison as we were walking through the village. I forced a smile when I looked down to her, telling her that Barry was on a journey. "Where did Barry go?" Was her next question and I told her he had gone for a long adventure.  
And when she asked me if he would come back, I hesitated. "Of course he will, darling," was all I could manage to say.  
"I hope he has fun," she commented after a moment of silence, "adventures are always fun! Just like last time when Barry fought the Dread Wolf!" And I halted.  
"Dread Wolf?" I asked and she nodded agitatedly. "Like in the story you told us! It was a big black wolf with spikes on its back! It was so scared it ran away from Barry!"  
I frowned. Did Allison really see such a wolf or was it her imagination?

After our errands were completed Eric came to us with bread in one hand and a sack of coins in the other. "This is what I got back, Mother," he said, handing the sack to me. "Bread!" Allison exclaimed. "I want to eat!"  
Eric rolled his eyes and tore off a loaf to give it to her while we were walking home.  
At some point I realized Allison was not walking with us anymore and I turned around to see her in front of a round cage.

"Mama?" She asked when I approached her. "Can we give the man something to eat, too?"  
Her eyes were watching me expectantly for a response as she pointed towards the qunari in the cage. He watched us silently, his monotone expression not faltering as I eyed him suspiciously. He looked unhealthy and too thin for a qunari warrior.  
"Did you ask if he needs it?" I asked, my eyes not leaving his.  
"Do you want bread?" Allison turned her attention to him and held out the loaf in her hand, getting no reaction from him. She asked again and poked him even, but he did not answer.  
As she opened her mouth again to say something, he interrupted her, "Parshaara. I do not want it."  
I frowned and asked Allison to give me her loaf, before shoving it into his hands through the cage. "You need it," I said sternly and commanded him to eat, "mashev."  
Surprise flashed through his face for a second, before he squinted his eyes and complied. "Na'thek. Thank you."

"What did you say to him, Mother?" Eric asked me curiously on our way home. "I told him to eat."  
"Why didn't he take it from me?" Allison pouted. "Do I have to say that, too, next time I give him food?"  
My eyes shifted down to her when she mentioned feeding him again, but I kept silent.  
"M-ma. Mashi. Misho." Allison practiced repeatedly until we arrived. Then she forgot all about it and ran inside to play with her doll.

"Are you alright, Mother?" Eric asked by my side and I forced myself to smile again. "I am, honey," I said, kissing him on his forehead.  
"But why are you crying?" He wiped away a single tear that had been rolling down my cheek. No words needed to be said as my son took me into his arms to weep on his shoulder.

The evening, however, was not so eventful.  
I brought Allison to bed and spent the rest of the time with Eric.  
"Mother, did you know that the qunari killed a whole family with his bare hands?" He broke the silence and I looked up from the sweater I had been knitting. "Do not believe the gossip unless you have seen it with your own eyes, Eric."  
But he shook his head. "He even admitted it himself," he insisted, "he wants to be in that cage."  
"Then he regrets it," I said, "such an honourable man deserves to be free again."  
"And you believe that?" He asked me unbelievingly and I nodded. "Qunari admit their faults and would even go as far as to end their lives willingly."  
"Can we free him?" He asked and I shook my head. "Eric, we both know that is a crime."  
"Maybe Leliana can talk the Revered Mother into freeing him? Come on, Mother, maybe he can protect us. And he will get to eat your delicious meals!"  
"Eric," I said with a reprimanding tone and he went silent.  
"Can I talk to him more?" And I nodded.

I realized not long ago how cold I had been throughout that day. I had not been myself then, but my past self. Showing kindness, but not admitting it. And more importantly, being overly suspicious and careful and I did not know why. Maybe it had to do with the loss of our dog. Maybe that was my way of coping with it, because I had to stay strong for my children. Or maybe I was trying to put the pieces together. The wolf and the horned figure? Maybe I sensed some kind of connection and most of all, danger.  
Was Leliana right perhaps?, I wondered. Was I truly turning mad?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations are as follows:  
> Kost - Peace  
> Parshaara. - "Enough."  
> Mashev. - "Eat."  
> Na'thek. - "As you wish."


End file.
